254. & 255. A Loyal Character Dancer & Vicious Circle
A Loyal Character Dancer by Qiu Xialong - this book is the next in the series after Death of a Red Heroine, which I reviewed in March 2007.
As with the previous book, our protagonist is police inspector Chen, who would much rather be writing poetry or translating detective novels from English. Instead, in A Loyal Character Dancer, Chen is unwillingly saddled with the job of looking after a fellow detective from the US, in China to collect the wife of a man in witness protection. This is not as simple as it first appears, since the wife has apparently vanished and it's unclear whether foul play is involved.
I have to admit I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor, but it's a series of books I really can't see myself continuing. While Qiu's writing is more than competent (as far as can be judged from this translation), and the setting and flavour of China is well-drawn, the supporting characters are somewhat thin. I was also more than a little non-plussed by the idea that a woman who has long enough hair to tie back in a ponytail would be able to wash her hair and be ready to go in five minutes. The series continues in When Red is Black.
Vicious Circle by Mike Carey - this is the next in the series of books featuring Felix Castor, following on from The Devil You Know (which I reviewed in November).
In Vicious Circle, Castor is contacted by a couple who are asking him to track down their missing daughter - Castor is an exorcist by trade, but he's perfect for this task since the daughter in question is a ghost. However, as is always the case with his adventures, our luckless hero soon discovers that nothing is quite what it seems and he's got himself into trouble once more.
As was the case with The Devil You Know, Carey's laconic prose was something I found very enjoyable and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go for this character. The series continues with Dead Men's Boots and I will definitely be tagging along for the ride!
As with the previous book, our protagonist is police inspector Chen, who would much rather be writing poetry or translating detective novels from English. Instead, in A Loyal Character Dancer, Chen is unwillingly saddled with the job of looking after a fellow detective from the US, in China to collect the wife of a man in witness protection. This is not as simple as it first appears, since the wife has apparently vanished and it's unclear whether foul play is involved.
I have to admit I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor, but it's a series of books I really can't see myself continuing. While Qiu's writing is more than competent (as far as can be judged from this translation), and the setting and flavour of China is well-drawn, the supporting characters are somewhat thin. I was also more than a little non-plussed by the idea that a woman who has long enough hair to tie back in a ponytail would be able to wash her hair and be ready to go in five minutes. The series continues in When Red is Black.
In Vicious Circle, Castor is contacted by a couple who are asking him to track down their missing daughter - Castor is an exorcist by trade, but he's perfect for this task since the daughter in question is a ghost. However, as is always the case with his adventures, our luckless hero soon discovers that nothing is quite what it seems and he's got himself into trouble once more.
As was the case with The Devil You Know, Carey's laconic prose was something I found very enjoyable and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go for this character. The series continues with Dead Men's Boots and I will definitely be tagging along for the ride!
